Post Inspired by Krissy

You know you're in for a long summer when you find yourself HIDING in your closet, hoping your kids won't find you on day 3 of summer break.

You know you're having a bad day when you flip off a dog that barks at you on your exercise route, and you feel a sense of great satisfaction.

You know you have a horse's mane for hair when you go to sleep with wet hair, have a fan pointed 6 inches from your head for 8 hours, and then wake up and have to blow dry your hair for 30 more minutes. (This one's for Krissy :))

You know kids have taken a toll on your body when you contemplate thanking God for spandex in your nightly prayers.

You know you're a bad Mom if your child wants Reese's Puffs cereal for lunch and you happily oblige, secretly thankful you didn't have to make something time consuming and healthy.

You know it's going to be a long day when you have run out of ideas for things to do with the kids, and realize it's only 9am.

You know you're stressed when you daydream of being a wad of gum on a far away, random sidewalk or wonder how nice it would be to trade places with a grazing cow on a grassy mountain top.

You know you have more than 2 kids when you realize that "lowered expectations" is the key to happiness.

You know you have more than 2 kids when your oldest comes to you and says the youngest is playing with a knife, and you ask if it's just a butter knife.

You know you're a Mom when anything brown on the floor is suspected of being poo.

You know you're overwhelmed when you think of who you're best friends are and feel the need to include your bed and the TV on the list.

You know you have it bad when you realize those awkward, ugly teenage years lasted from 14 until you were 25.

You know you're lazy when you decide not to watch TV because you have looked all over for the remote and can't find it, and it's too much effort to just get up and turn the actual TV on.

You know you've hit 30 when you couldn't care less about what people think about you. (This one is a perk)

You know you've had too many kids when you don't care that your car smells like it's rotting because at least you kept your sanity for a few minutes while they munched on the food you threw at them (I mean to them).

You know you've had too many kids when you've mastered the art of driving 70 mph and swatting someone in the back seat.

You know it's going to be a long day or couple of days when you had an unfortunate binge of Oreos at lunch and that you have now consumed your daily caloric needs for 2 days.

You know Sunday is not a "special day" when you literally get a migraine EVERY Sunday and can't wait for Monday to start.

You know that you're anti-social when you hope with all your heart that the answering machine picks up when making calls so you don't have to talk to an actual person AND you feel like having visiting teachers come over is a great sacrifice on your part.

I am sure there are many more "gems" I could come up with but I need to go find my 2 year old because it has been way too quiet for too long. And by the way, I really do love my kids and love being a Mom. Really.

Memorial Day Trip to the Cabin

Make a Smilebox slideshow

TigerDog and 2 Birthdays

For those who know Elisabeth, it is a well known fact that she has been fascinated with tigers and dogs for a long time. For a while, she would only answer to the new name she gave herself, "TigerDog". She loves reading books on tigers and dogs and often pretends she is one. I think this phase is so precious, I thought I would show some pictures of her. I also had to include her classic TigerDog face which is often given when she is mad at us (which is frequent).
We also recently celebrated both Christian's (13) and Hunter's (8) birthdays. Their birthdays are only 2 days apart and this year, they wanted to celebrate them together. On Saturday, Christian and I ran the Race For the Cure together which was a wonderful experience; so many survivors and so many loved ones that had been lost to breast cancer. In the afternoon, Robert took the older kids to see Wolverine, which they loved. We also went to the Bountiful Rec Center to go swimming, and to Golden Corral for dinner. I love celebrating the kids birthdays and we all really enjoyed our family time together this weekend!

My Mom

I have always wished someone would ask ME to speak on Mother's Day because I would love to honor my Mom not only because she is an amazing mother, but because she is a great example of a successful woman, person, and individual, outside of being a mother. I think most Mothers would agree that they would love to pretty much avoid Mother's Day at church; the disappointing talks by youth who can only come up with a pathetic acknowledgment that their Mom cooks and cleans, or the other extreme--the mother we all hate because she bakes bread, always loves being a mother, sews, does her geneology, is always serving others, never needs sleep or takes any thought of herself, all while maintaining an obnoxious eternal grin on her face. Nothing disgusts me more--BECAUSE THIS WOMAN DOESN'T EXIST!!
These are the things I love most about my Mom:
*Her sometimes inappropriate sense of humor (which I get from her). She often can't keep herself from laughing simply because it is the absolute worst time to laugh.
*She is talented and educated. Her dedication to the piano and to going back to school when she was in her late 30s is a great example to me. When she went back to school, I saw her self-esteem grow as she pursued something that she had an interest in and as she widened her social circle.
*She is fiercely loyal to her family. She has supported us, protected us, taught us, and loved us every day of our lives. No one could ever think her first priority was not her family.
*She has a strong opinion about EVERYTHING--a trait in which all of her children have followed. I detest women who are passive, and this is definitely something she has NEVER been. This is a wonderful example to me that it's okay to be strong and voice your opinions.
*I love her red hair. It is totally fitting to her personality.
*She is the wisest person I know (besides Robert). She instinctively knows what to do in every situation and can easily discern any person's spirit within seconds.
*She is simple. There is nothing worldly about her and all she desires in this life is that her children walk in righteousness.
*She is distrustful of authority--like me. I mean this in the best sense because I think it is vitally important to learn everything for yourself and not to follow anybody blindly. Any person in power is to be distrusted--and this example has served me well through the years.
*She is by far, the most empathetic person I have ever known. My siblings can attest to this. As a matter of fact, she probably feels things we are going through even more than us! No one can make you feel better then her.
*Did anyone notice that I did not say a thing about house cleaning, cooking, crafts, or even parenting skills? Although she is excellent at all of these things, these domestic abilities do not define who she is and why she is so wonderful. The most important things to me are the personal traits that are either innate, or that she has worked on through the years. I see her as a powerful, accomplished, fulfilled person, woman, daughter of God, and I am so blessed that she happens to be my Mother too! I love you Mom.

"Trust Me" --Posted by Robert

Trust Me

Our neighbor’s daughter, Talitha Underwood just turned eight and today was her baptismal day. Since our family first moved into this ward, the Underwoods have been amongst our best friends. We have taken several vacations together and our kids also match up close in age and play well together. Paul and Lucinda are such a neat couple. When they first met each other in Alaska, neither were members of the church. Through independent trials and experiences, shortly after they both became converted to the gospel of Christ and were baptized. Today they have four kids and are remarkable members and people.
This was a very memorable and precious baptism experience. It started in the traditional program format, which included a short talk on Baptism and the Holy Ghost that they asked me to give:

There once was a man named Nicodemus who came to talk with the Savior one night. Jesus told him, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant. How could a person be born again?
The Savior explained, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”.

Jesus was talking about being born spiritually. To do this, a person must be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.

Jesus further explained that Heavenly Father had sent Him to earth to prepare a way for us all to return to Heavenly Father. The Savior testified that He would suffer and die on a cross so that we would be saved if we believed in Him and kept His commandments. He said that we need to choose the right and to not do things that are wrong. If we do what is right, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

Did you know that Jesus choose to be baptized? Jesus wanted to go back to Heaven just like we want to. He is a good example of choosing the right. Do you want to be baptized like Jesus was?

Then today you are choosing to be born again. Today is like a new birthday--a spiritual birthday and Heavenly Father wants to give you a special birthday present: The gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost can be your best friend. He is often call the Comforter, because he has the ability to touch our hearts and help us feel peace. The Holy Ghost can warn and protect us from harm and help us know what is right. The Holy Ghost is a very special gift.

I am proud of you for choosing to be baptized today. I know that you are choosing the right. Our Heavenly Father is very pleased that you love Him and want to follow Jesus.
Testimony...
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen

Upon conclusion of my remarks, Paul entered the men’s dressing room and Talitha entered the women's. A few seconds later Paul descended into the baptismal font and waited for his daughter to emerge. Seconds turned into minutes. Finally a scared voice muttered, “I don’t want to get into the water”! Paul immediately went to her trying to understand her concerns. “I don’t want to go under the water”, she again exclaimed. At this, I reflected on the talk I had just finished where I asked Talitha if she wanted to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized today, in which she enthusiastically nodded with a big grin of agreement. Paul then explained to the anxious assembly of friends and family that Talitha (like her mom) had a great fear of being submerged in water. Paul and the Bishopric were now left with the conundrum of what to do. They knew she wanted to be baptized, but it didn’t seem right to force or trick her under the water ignoring her fears and free agency. Paul continued, gently persuading and encouraging her that she would be safe and he would never let go. After some time passed to no avail, whisperings of ‘maybe we should just reschedule her for another day’ began to surface amongst the crowd. Paul brought her close to him and asked her if he had “ever let her down”? In which she answered, “no”. He then asked, “Has Heavenly Father ever let you down”? Again, she quietly whispered “no”. Paul then replied, “you need to trust me and trust in Heavenly Father that you will be ok”. Sinking deeper in the water to be face to face, Paul then asked her if he could say the baptismal prayer and if she was ready she could be baptized, and if not, that’s all right, “I am not going to force you to be baptized”. He then raised his hand to the square and calling her by name, performed the baptismal prayer. To his astonishment, a peace and calm came over Talitha and even before finishing the prayer she began arching her back toward the water in which he gladly finished her full immersion. Upon her ascent she wrapped her precious arms around the daddy she knew she could trust to keep her safe.
What a sweet spirit we all shared today--the purifying covenant of baptism and that of a Father-daughter relationship based on trust and love. It is ever too common to parent with force, taking away a child’s opportunity to choose for themselves. During the war in heaven this fundamental gift of free agency was disputed. Lucifer and those who followed him desired to perfect the souls of man by way of force, stripping every individual of their agency. While at first glance one could see brilliance in such a plan--everyone makes it to perfection. However, as reality dawns we realize that nobody would be perfect--only the outward shell of perfection. It such a way there is no internal dedication, conviction, or testimony. True perfection comes from within. Our Father in Heaven doesn’t want to make carbon copies of Himself against the desires of His children. He wants us to choose our eternal destinies ourselves. He wants us to choose the level of happiness and responsibility that we are willing to receive. Our kind Father in Heaven quietly leads, encourages, and inspires us to spark the desire to follow Him to a fullness of Joy. If we ultimately do not choose to follow and emulate His perfected ways of our own freewill and choice, then we will receive our just rewards; "For where your heart is there also will be your treasure." Also, "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift" (D&C 88: 3). Today was also a testament that our loving Father in Heaven can deliver peace and assurance at our moments of deepest need as we trust in Him with faith.